Max Mosley is not someone who'd be at the top of my list of dinner party guests. After all, he's the head of the most boring form (Formula 1) of the world's most tedious sport (motor racing). Beside that, he may also be a bit of a sexual deviant, if the evidence presented in his just-concluded libel action is to be believed. Even so, I'm very glad that he won the case. The "right" of sleazemongers like the News of the World to make money by catching major or minor celebrities doing something icky (or worse, entrapping them into doing so) is not the kind of freedom I'd go to the wall for.
The NoTW editor's defence of his lurid rag in the wake of the verdict oozes hypocrisy. In his opinion, as the head of the richest sport in the world, with almost 125 million members, Mr Mosley "had an obligation to honour the standards which its vast membership had every right to expect of him. Taking part in depraved and brutal S&M orgies on a regular basis does not, in our opinion, constitute the fit and proper behaviour to be expected of someone in his hugely influential position."
Judge not lest ye be judged yourself, Mr Editor. Who cares what you think is fit and proper? And on what basis do you assess the standards to which the 125 million "members" of the FIA (most of whom may not even know that they're regarded as such) expect Max Mosley to conform? Most of them would probably agree that private means private, except in cases where an individual's private behaviour adversely affects his or her ability to perform a public role. If the Pope took part in an S & M orgy, that would be a story with true public interest; if some old guy with an unhealthy interest in fast cars does so, it isn't.
I said at the beginning that I wouldn't invite Mosley to a dinner party. You often see people publishing lists of their ideal dinner party guests (Jesus Christ, Shakespeare and Beethoven seem to be favourites), but it's actually more interesting and much more fun to compile a guest list for the dinner party from hell. My list (which changes regularly) would include Ricky Gervais, Jeremy Clarkson, Ann Robinson, Alan Greenspan, Alan Sugar, Cherie Blair, Salman Rushdie and either of the Gallagher brothers. Food provided by Anthony Worrall Thompson, wines by Gallo, musical entertainment by James Blunt. There's one empty seat -- anybody want it?
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